My Car Detoured To Edgar

Today my rental car detoured itself to Edgar for a late lunch shortly after 4 pm. How this happened can't be explained. Perhaps rental cars shouldn't be trusted?

Once safely there, I had many great choices.



Being an egg lover, it was easy to pick the egg salad on Art-is-in Boulangerie bread with red onion, apple, bacon and arugula. Slightly grilled.



I did a snack pack dessert of a mini almond cake with a chocolate sole and hat! It was a match for my very regular pick of Cha Yi's Rooibos Safari tea.



Rental cars can do unpredictable things and sometimes you just have to roll with it.

* all photos taken with Samsung's Galaxy S Android smartphone *

Edgar
60 rue Bégin
Gatineau (Hull sector), Quebec
819.205.1110
www.chezedgar.ca
www.sheeatsbears.blogspot.com

Update to Brunch hours (effective Oct 1, 2011)
Wed to Fri: 10 am - 6:30 pm
Sat: 10 am - 5 pm (Brunch 10 am - 2 pm)
Sun: 9:30 am - 5 pm (Brunch 9:30 am - 2 pm)
Mon and Tues: Closed

Edgar - Menu Board Obliteration - Again

I was pleased that I made it to Edgar on their very last day of 2010 (December 23). It was well into the afternoon so I did have some concern as to what might still be available. Although I waltzed in the door after 2 pm, I was lucky to squeeze a spot on the last stool by the bar at the front window. The place was still packed with a lunch crowd.

Marysol spoiled me with 3 little taster pots of her special soups of the day. They were all great but I had no problem choosing the Spicy Carrot and Red Lentil Soup.



I then moved on to a panini. The BBQ chicken breast with sauce and jalapeno peppers. It was messy and good. Hopefully I wasn't being watched in the front window. Marysol knows me to be a fork and knife gal for even the most basic of finger foods. I should have insisted for this one. Did I mention that it was so good?

Coffee is my crack. But whenever I go to Edgar, I feel the strong urge to indulge in a Cha Yi tea. And again I went for the Rooibos Safari.

And now for the very STRESSFUL part of my visit!

As I approached the treats counter to find a partner for my tea, it was clear that many people had been there before me. But there were still a few nice choices remaining. I spotted the brioche I knew I had to have. There were just two left. Third in line for attention, I patiently waited, hoping I wasn't being preceded by brioche lovers. The lady at the cash was stocking up on EVERYTHING it seemed and it made the wait long. Just as she was pulling her wallet (hallelujah!), I see her intersect my glance. She caught me staring at the brioche. Oh, it gets worse. Here I was waiting in line long enough to have eaten that brioche in my imagination. I had savoured very bite. Every crumb. Every morsel. And what does that super shopper do? She speaks softly to Marysol in French that SHE wants brioche too. I didn't catch all her words. My bilingual status is still iffy. Did she want one or two? I was feeling pretty threatened. After all, she was really stocking up. She looked like someone who might not be settling for just one. Marysol's tongs reached high up on the plate. I go pale. There goes the brioche I had just eaten with my eyes. I had picked between the two and she took my brioche. The gentleman between me and super shopper saw the whole thing go down and I wondered if it was enough to make him consider brioche for his treat. I had to know. I asked him outright (but politely!) if he thought he might like the last brioche. Thankfully he shakes his head no. Did I seem intimidating? Was he now too afraid to take it? Simon stepped in and rescued me from my over anticipation. My brioche went to the oven to put a bit of warmth right to its core. And then it was mine!

This is my second ever brioche from Edgar. Which, if you knew how often I have frequented, shows great restraint. It was stuffed with cranberries, pecans and zests of orange. The cinnamon and corn syrupy sweetness proved to be the perfect glue. The orange icing on top, a royal cape. So much for being 'Missy Fork and Knife'. I went right at this thing like I was ripping at a lobster. It was the perfect end to my last 2010 Edgar visit. And I had had the last Edgar brioche of the decade! All mine. It was the consummate partner for my Cha Yi Rooibos Safari tea! (Cha Yi is nearby at 61 rue Eddy in Hull, and my next destination stop.)



Marysol and Simon still had a few hours to go to serve the last of their clientele for the year. Those stragglers would be greeted by yet another obliterated Edgar menu board. I hope the Edgar holiday break was restful. I patiently wait their return on Saturday January 8.

Edgar
60 rue Bégin
Gatineau (Hull sector), Quebec
819.205.1110
www.chezedgar.ca
www.sheeatsbears.blogspot.com

Update to Brunch hours (effective Oct 1, 2011)
Wed to Fri: 10 am - 6:30 pm
Sat: 10 am - 5 pm (Brunch 10 am - 2 pm)
Sun: 9:30 am - 5 pm (Brunch 9:30 am - 2 pm)
Mon and Tues: Closed

Edgar - Infectious. Like Bees to Honey.

Today, I paid an impromptu visit to Edgar at 60 rue Bégin in Old Hull. Edgar is the brain-child of powerhouse, Marysol, well known for her food blog she eats bears. I was out of town for the big opening this past Saturday and Sunday. Monday they were closed and so today was my first chance to see the culmination of all the meticulous planning and hard work that went into opening this petit café. Marysol seems to exude boundless energy and determination.

I would be wrong not to mention her number one supporter and fan, Simon, who was ably helping over the weekend and also this Tuesday. What a strong team the two of them make.

When I went today, it was not with camera in hand or with the intent to write. Just to visit, enjoy lunch and to say a hello. There has been quite a few blog posts already, sharing the message of goodness. Maybe my take on it wouldn't be that much different. Great food is, well great food. But I came away with two thoughts that were unshakable as I made my drive home.

First, I don't know Marysol that well, really. We are Ottawa foodie community confrères that share the love of food through personal food blogs, who have met just a handful of times over the past number of months. But she has the darnedest way of making you feel like you have known her forever. Her infectious personality draws you in. Second, the food at Edgar is memorable. Every detail, surgically calculated. Her food is emblematic of that age old phrase 'made with love'.

For those that fall under the spell of Marysol, your life will be enriched. Be you acquaintance, fellow food blogger, Edgar client, supplier of food wares, industry colleague. It is like bees to honey. I bet you even the phone guys liked her in the end, despite all the hassles with installing that debit machine.

For those eating the food here, you will struggle with your decisions and you may not know when to stop. I just can't imagine my experience today was unique. I ROLLED out of Edgar after the most delicious lunch.

I started with a ham, romaine and Jarlsberg cheese panini. So yummy with the Dijon mustard. I had it along side a big bowl of spicy butternut squash and sweet potato soup infused with lemon grass, lime leaves, coriander, cayenne, and curry. It was lovingly garnished with fresh coriander and cucumber cubes.

The compulsion to continue could not be reined in. I just couldn't say no to the now famous orange zesty brioche, that parcels nuggets of bacon and dates. It is best when it is warmed. Simon's suggestion. I went totally sophisticated and ate it with a fork. It seemed wrong to have it without a latte. This would be a chance to give Marysol her sought after practice with the big machines, I thought. Really, I was doing her a favour, wasn't I? She spoiled me with a dash of cinnamon on top. Cinnamon goes well with zesty orange and bacon and dates and briochy flavours. A calculated move on her part? To be sure. As good as she is with the colour palate when making her beautiful art, this lady knows her taste palate as well.

So you think my foodie visit ended with that last drip of emulsified latte milk? Oh no. I was still at the trough. It was now time to pick a treat to bring home to the mister. That sticky apple pecan muffin would bring me high praise. I have been eyeballing it since the blog post of October 9th, where its perfection was unveiled. [For the record, it has vanished already and there isn't even a crumb to be had.] I have been dedicating myself to vigorous product research since mid-summer, searching out the bestest homemade granola in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. 190 grams of granola goodness would be coming home too.

If you are caught up on all the food blogs about Edgar from the opening weekend, you will know that I am confirming that everything the others have been saying is totally true. Be it The Twisted Chef, foodiePrints, heartful mouthful or Rachelle Eats Food. And while you are at it, why not hear what Marysol thinks of it all so far.

Lucky rue Bégin. Lucky Old Hull. Lucky anybody who crosses the threshold of Edgar.

Congratulations Edgar! It must be in the genes.

Edgar
60 rue Bégin
Gatineau (Hull sector), Quebec
819.205.1110
www.chezedgar.ca
www.sheeatsbears.blogspot.com

Update to Brunch hours (effective Oct 1, 2011)
Wed to Fri: 10 am - 6:30 pm
Sat: 10 am - 5 pm (Brunch 10 am - 2 pm)
Sun: 9:30 am - 5 pm (Brunch 9:30 am - 2 pm)
Mon and Tues: Closed